Research has shown that smoking increases the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but less is known about what happens to people who have established RA. But new research (October 2022) from an early arthritis registry in Sweden shows that current smoking makes RA disease activity worse and negatively impacts health-related quality of life. In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Cheryl Koehn of Arthritis Consumer Experts talks with Dr. Kamran Shojania about the specific harms of smoking in people living with RA and shares his thoughts on how to discuss quitting with his patients.

Additional learning resources:

• Quitting smoking: Provincial and territorial services
• Toll-free number you can reach a “quit-coach”: 1-866-366-3667
• First Nations Health Authority on Respecting Tobacco